Classic Crème Anglaise
A classic French vanilla custard sauce made with whole milk, egg yolks and just enough sugar. Silky and pourable, it’s traditionally served with chocolate cakes in France but also good with fruit desserts or used as the custard layer in a trifle.
Ingredients
- 300 ml (10 ½ fl oz/ 1¼ cups) whole milk full fat
- 4 egg yolks organic/free-range
- 1 vanilla bean/pod, split or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste/powder
- 30 g (2 tbsp) sugar
Instructions
- Heat the milk with the vanilla gently in a saucepan until steaming and just below boiling. Remove from the heat. If using a vanilla pod, cover and leave to infuse for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together briefly until light and creamy. Gradually pour the warm milk over the yolks, whisking continuously.
- Return everything to the saucepan. Cook over low to medium heat - do not boil - stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, until the custard lightly thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
- Immediately remove from the heat, strain into a bowl, cool then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Serve chilled or if at room temperature, remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving. Traditionally served with French chocolate fondant cake or lava cakes.
For trifle: Make a half batch adding cornflour to thicken the sauce slightly - see my macaron sherry trifle for a thicker version that's chilled before layering.
Chai variation: Infuse the hot milk with 1 Chai teabag or about 2 teaspoons loose Chai for 10 minutes (to replace the vanilla). Strain before continuing with the recipe.
Storage: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Macaron tip: Making macarons? Use the yolks for crème anglaise first, then keep the whites for your macaron shells.
Nutrition
Calories: 67kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 3gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 19mgPotassium: 66mgSugar: 6gVitamin A: 191IUCalcium: 58mgIron: 0.2mg
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